Live Young, Die Free

In Japan, there is a saying: "Itai doushin," or "Different body, same mind." The phrase refers to two different people who seem to be identical or close to identical in the ways they think, behave, and so on. It typically comes up when someone discovers their mental doppelganger. Unfortunately for Jacob, as he would learn over the course of the next few weeks, Chinatsu may very well be his mental doppelganger.

The circumstances of their lives were very different--Jacob grew up in a household where he wasn't particularly well-cared-for and had an extreme amount of personal freedom, while Chinatsu was raised in a home where the walls were erected high and sturdy, preventing her from pursuing her true self as much as she wished--and yet, despite it all, they were far more similar than Jacob would have liked. It is also often said that the people who most drive you crazy are those who are most like you, so that checks out, in his case.

And so, on the morning of April 29th--Showa Day, the most useless day of Golden Week this year--Jacob awoke to rejoice at a potentially Chinatsu-free day. It was a glorious Saturday morning: The sun was shining bright, the temperatures were mild and pleasant, and the breeze was so inviting. This morning's jog would be a long one, he decided. Not like there was going to be anything better to do on freakin' Showa Day. And so, just before 8 o'clock, Jacob was descending from the 6th floor of his apartment complex in his blue-and-black jogging suit. While Jacob would have preferred to do his running on a lonely, dusty road in a painted desert--like he was able to back home--he'd just have to make do with the urban landscape for now. At least it's one of Tokyo's outer wards, and not the heart of the beast!

As he pounded the pavement around the neighborhood, Jacob reflected on his first three weeks at Kameda High: On the whole, not as nightmarish as he had feared, even after he learned that his sanctuary at Jogamu Sports Bar wasn't safe from Chinatsu's evil presence. Surprisingly, the few times he's returned to Jogamu since then, she was nowhere to be found, though Hirano-san kept trying to play matchmaker with his daughter, which was always an uncomfortable topic.

"I'm just sayin', Jay-kun, the next generation of Japanese boys we got comin' up is entirely unreliable," the middle-aged bartender told him a few days after Chinatsu's surprise visit, "The boys nowadays are weak and lack integrity. None of 'em have the same drive we had back in our day! I'd just feel better knowing that my daughter had a more stable future with a good man like you, when she's ready to marry in a few years..."

Eugh! It sent chills up Jacob's spine, remembering that little scene as he passed the 7-Eleven along the main street. Five years ago, he found it so strange that he just so happened to move to an apartment next to such a familiar American chain, but it turns out Ota City was polluted with 7-Elevens, and it was a low chance that he didn't end up close to one. He shook his head. Marrying someone nearly 17 years his junior was already an uncomfortable thought, but Chinatsu, specifically? Yeesh.

If anything, he'd much rather tie the knot with the lovely Shimada-sensei, but he hasn't exactly been batting a thousand in that particular pursuit, lately. His initial idea was to do well in her English classes and impress her that way, but after some thought (and the fact that his showing off his proficiency in class more annoyed her than anything), he realized that this idea was incredibly stupid. So then, he tried a more direct approach in meeting with her in the faculty office, but that was a bust, too.

"Look, Young-san, I'd prefer it if you didn't try to hit on me during school hours. You're free to hit on me outside of school property, where I can also be free to pretend I don't hear you."

Well, damn. This was gonna be quite a tough chase! As he jogged past the packaging supply store, he once again took up the challenge of brainstorming ideas to get Shimada-sensei to go out with him. He'd already struck out waiting outside the gates, as that felt stalker-y, and so did finding out which shops she liked to frequent. He did hear her say, once, that she took a half-hour train to and from home each day, so coincidentally bumping into her on the street seemed highly unlikely. Hmm...

At the end of the road, Jacob finally arrived at a complex of baseball fields and tennis courts next to the Tama River, which marked the end of his long-jog route. A handful of local kids were apparently already up and at 'em, playing 4-man baseball with little success. Deciding he had some time to kill, Jacob decided to take a seat on the grass pitch and watch them play. Their short, shuffling steps and slides vividly reminded him of his first few weeks in the Calligraphy Club, where Chinatsu and Emi provided a demonstration of a Shodou performance for the others on the Club's 2nd day.

"The trick is to focus on the dance aspect first and foremost," Emi was saying as she moved gracefully in slow-motion, "Each of us will have nearly 3 full minutes to write our segments, so getting our brush strokes to be accurate is the easy part. Coordinating our steps as we shuffle in and out of the frame? Especially to the high tempo of our chosen song? That's gonna be the hard part..."

The Calligraphy Club still only had 5 members--Jacob, Chinatsu, Emi, Shinji, and that snooty girl, Yuuko--so Chinatsu's proclamation that their membership would increase exponentially rang quite hollow. Unless they got any surprise additions soon, they'd just have to plan for their Shodou performance to be a 5-man affair.

"In the meantime, everyone think of a saying to paint on the banner, and practice until your fingers fall off!" Chinatsu ordered, "Since I'm the President, I'll naturally have to figure out a key Kanji for everything to center around. What about you, Jake-kun? Do you even know enough Japanese yet to come up with something?" She gave him her familiar flirty, mischievous grin that Jacob did not appreciate one bit.

"Oh, ha, ha," Jacob said humorlessly, "Just focus on coming up with something that doesn't suck, Peanuts."

"Right, right..." was Chinatsu's reply, and if Jacob didn't know any better, he could swear that it came with some of her usual exuberance conspicuously absent. Every so often since then, he noticed that certain retorts of his kept causing this behavior, and something about it was unsettling. She'd always bounce right back to her usual annoying self, so these lapses in her usual personality were temporary, but nonetheless, rather ominous.

As he sat there, peaceably enjoying the breezy morning air, footsteps approached on the shale just behind him as he continued watching those kids, and now a few families, playing on the baseball diamonds.

"Jake-kun?"

***

Jacob turned around to see Chinatsu standing above him, and annoyingly, she was wearing a rather immodest black tank top and tight bicycle shorts. Great. Speak--er, think of the devil, and she shall appear. Though, at least, those 90s-style running shoes were pretty sweet.

"What the--oh. It's just you, Peanuts," he said flatly as he turned back to watch the baseball games play out.

"Aw, don't say 'just'..." Chinatsu whined, and once again, Jacob could detect a faint note of...disappointment? Deflation? Offense? After a few seconds, she bounced back, "So, what brings you down to the river, Jake-kun?"

"Joggin'," Jacob said, "This is the halfway point of my long route. The other half, of course, is goin' back the way I came. I felt kinda nostalgic seeing the kids playin' baseball, so I stopped to watch." He shrugged. "And you?"

Chinatsu stepped forward and sat on the grass right next to him. "Hm, same, I guess. I don't usually go this way when I jog, though. By the way, mind if I sit here?" Their shoulders were practically touching.

"Too close, Peanuts," Jacob growled as he inched away.

"Right. Sorry." There it was again, that downcast tone. It was time to get to the bottom of it. "You sound like shit today. Not a morning person?" he asked without really asking, his eyes now focused on a young couple who showed up at the nearest tennis court. No response. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. A small sigh from his left.

"You...really don't like me at all, do you...Yangu-san?"

The somber tone in Chinatsu's words was far more shocking to Jacob than if she had just spontaneously pounced on him. He jerked his head around to look down at her, as she brushed her teal-blue-striped bangs out from in front of her watery eyes as she stared ahead at the baseball diamonds. Aha, so this was her true face.

Suddenly, everything about this girl made total sense--her aggressive personality, her annoying and forceful attitude, her exaggerated bravado...Jacob had seen it all before. Those lapses in her personality were when the mask slipped off, before she hastily put it back on. It was a scenario that was all too familiar, and now that he could see it, he immediately knew what his problem with Chinatsu truly was.

"Well, maybe. It all depends," he said in a casual way, prompting her to jerk her head towards him in surprise this time. "If that annoying, control-freak braggart you've been showing me is really who you are, then the answer's yes. I can't stand you at all." He waited a second before continuing, to really let that sink in.

"But, if that's just a front--if you're just putting on a show to try to 'impress' all of us--then I can't really say, because that miserable brat you've been showing us is all I've seen until now."

Chinatsu was staring, open-mouthed, at him. Clearly, she felt like he could see right through her. "H-How did you...?"

"You don't get to be in your 30s without learning a little bit about how people work, Peanuts," Jacob replied, a great sense of relief building inside of him at the accuracy of his hunch, "And that tough-talkin' mask of yours--and believe me, it is a mask--well, it's the exact same one I used to wear, when I was a kid."

Chinatsu said nothing. Jacob decided to lay his cards out on the table.

"Lemme tell ya a little somethin', Peanuts: When I was growin' up, nobody cared about me or what I had to say. Not my parents, not my teachers, nobody. Mom'd beat me 'cross the face for the stupidest shit, and Dad worked the evening shift, so I never really saw him. And when I did, he wanted nothin' to do with me. So I took up fishin'. And hikin'. And huntin'. Pretty much anything that'd keep me out of the house and away from my folks for as long as possible."

He patted his hands on his knees as he spoke, drumming along to some half-remembered song.

"So, when I got to school, I'd act out and try to be tough to impress or push around the other kids. I thought I was bein' cool, but no, I was a raging little shithead. Any lifelong friends I mighta made, I pushed 'em all away."

Chinatsu was thoroughly absorbed in every word Jacob was saying. At that moment, the lanky batter on the furthest diamond hit a spectacular homerun, the baseball flying directly at the two of them. It would have smacked Chinatsu right in the forehead if Jacob hadn't caught it.

"Hey, watch it! It was a good hit, but ya almost hit my jogging mate!" he called out to the oncoming kids with a stern undertone, before tossing the ball back to them.

"Jogging mate? Jake-kun, are you saying...?"

He nodded. "I'm givin' you a second chance, Peanuts, 'cause now I can see you're just makin' the same mistake I did all those years ago. Throw that act of yours in the garbage and show us who you really are, before you end up pushin' everyone outta your life. I learned that lesson far too late, and now I've got nothin' to show for it."

"And...you want to jog with me..?"

"If I'm gonna be stuck with you in that clubroom all year long, I might as well get to know you a bit, as long as I'm givin' you a second chance and all. Here's the deal: I jog down this main road every morning around 7:00 or so. 8:00, if it's a weekend. You're free to join, when you can. Not many people get the chance to make a second first impression, y'know."

He stood up and wiped the dirt and dust off his butt, before looking down at her, alarmed to see tears beginning to run down her cheeks. "What the--? The hell'd I say?"

Chinatsu sprang to her feet and immediately hugged Jacob around the middle, crying into his arm, which was incredibly uncomfortable (though not as uncomfortable as Hirano-san's comments about arranging their marriage). And all Jacob could do was wait for her to regain her composure.

"Alright, that's enough of that. Come on. We'll jog to that 7-Eleven up the road and see if they got anything edible for breakfast."

"Aha!" Chinatsu cried out, jumping out in front of Jacob and striking a triumphant pose, "Eating breakfast together? That sounds like a date to me!" The corners of her eyes were still wet. After a second of awkward silence, she held her right hand vertically to her chest, in a gesture of contrition. "Sorry, sorry, just kidding. I couldn't resist."

"Yeah, Rule #1, Peanuts: Those kinds of jokes ain't gonna fly from today onward, so keep that in mind."

"Fiiiiine," Chinatsu whined in an exaggerated tone, already seeming to be in higher spirits than she had been a few minutes ago.

"Ready to see what a buncha gas jockeys thinks passes for breakfast?" Jacob said, stretching his legs for another bout of exercise.

"Oh, I eat breakfast there several times a week," she replied, "Their omelettes are spongy and inedible, in all the best ways." She did some leg-lifts, herself, before saying, "Okay, last one there has to buy, go!" And she was off, practically sprinting rather than jogging up the road.

Jacob had to laugh. "Hah! You brat!" He, too, began sprinting up the road with incredible speed. "No one outruns Jacob Young when there's free food on the line!"

Now that was more like it--this new version of Peanuts, still mischievous, still energetic, was nonetheless far more tolerable and, dare he say, not infuriating to be around. Perhaps he'll even get to meet the cool Motorhead fan that lay dormant within. Seems like the kid'll be alright, after all.

***

Sitting in the parking lot outside of the 7-Eleven, Jacob's suspicions about Chinatsu's home life had been largely correct, save for the fact that her father, Hirano Genta, the friendly barkeep at Jogamu, did try his best to foster a sense of individuality in his daughter, though his work hours meant he was rarely at home to be with his only daughter. It didn't help that the both of them were firmly trapped under the iron fist of Chinatsu's mother, Hirano Suzuko, Chairwoman of the Board at Kameda High. The ladder of bureaucracy had hardened her into a domineering, no-nonsense woman who was about as tender and loving as a wolverine. She made all the money, so she believed she was entitled to be the head of the household, alone at the top.

"I've always wanted to join the Light Music Club," Chinatsu was saying, wobbling a rubbery slab of egg in front of her face before popping it down the hatch, "Y'know, started a Girls Metal group or something like that after class, like in that one anime--"

"Sorry, kid," Jacob cut in, folding a tiny pancake in his fingers as it split open at the middle, "I don't watch much TV, so I won't know the show."

"Oh, right," Chinatsu replied, "Well, in the show, the club supervisor turned the Light Music Club into a Girls Metal band during her high school days, and I've always wanted to do the same. But Mother would never allow that. 'What an awful racket,' she said when she saw me watching that episode. 'Turn that shit off and do something useful for once. Like mopping the floors. They're filthy!' And on and on, she'd go. You can imagine how she reacted when I said I wanted to join the Light Music Club instead of the Calligraphy Club."

"Heh. Sounds like exactly the kind of woman I'd love to have overseeing my education," Jacob said with a grimace, shaking his head as he choked down the dry mini-pancake. "Yeah, my mom was like that, too. Except instead of something prestigious like School Board President, she just stole welfare checks out of our neighbors' mailboxes, until they wised up and went digital. Yet somehow, my brother and I were the lazy ones."

Chinatsu hissed. "Yup, I can see why you'd drop out of school and run away from it all." She tossed another floppy egg slice into her mouth. "If it weren't for Dad, I'd probably have tried running away from home, too." She chuckled. "Funny story, back when I was in middle school, Mom was actually the one who bought me a copy of Shodou Girls on Blu-Ray, hoping it would make me forget about 'frivolous clubs for empty-headed girls' and be more interested in Calligraphy Club."

Jacob, finished with his lackluster breakfast, tossed his plastic tray into a nearby garbage can before saying, "Looks like it worked, though if I'm getting the right read on you, kid, not in the way she hoped it would."

Chinatsu grinned. "It may not be the best movie I've ever seen, but if she knew it was about a competition and performance, she might not have been so quick to pick it up for me."

Not long after, the two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Jacob now feeling pretty good about his decision to give Peanuts a second chance--clearly the poor kid needed some friends, and maybe now, if she behaves herself, she'll make a few more and be happier. But now that he had told her how he used to go fishing as a kid, to distract himself from his home life, he was suddenly in the mood to call up a charter and put some fish on the menu this week. He returned to Apartment 606 and called up a few nearby places, settling on Minamoto Fishing Boats, and that's how Jacob spent most of the rest of Showa Day--out on the water, reeling in sea bream after sea bream, and even snagging a single yellowtail tuna for good measure. The sea bream was all for him, but the yellowtail tuna was going straight to Chisato-san, to see what kind of culinary magic his elderly neighbor could work with such a high-quality fish.

On Monday and Tuesday, classes were more unfocused and casual than usual, as neither the teachers nor the students were really all that invested in going over new material when the bulk of Golden Week was fast approaching, so they either spent their periods reviewing difficult material or simply threw their hands in the air and declared a free-study period, which inevitably devolved into more of a free-socializing period. That's just the power of Golden Week, Jacob figured.

He was pleased, however, to see that Chinatsu had taken his advice to heart, leading the Calligraphy Club in a manner that was much more agreeable to all involved. She didn't bark out orders like she was dealing with a pack of dogs anymore, instead going for a more "confident ship-captain" approach.

"So, Shinji-kun," she said, leaning over to appraise his script proposal, "Which phrase are you going with?"

"I've decided on this," Shinji replied, showing her his rough draft of the phrase, 'The skilled hawk hides its talons'. "That song, Ace of Spades, describes a card player who makes bold moves in his game and, by implication, his life, does it not?" He tapped his left temple with his finger. "I'd imagine he gets quite the thrill from keeping his best plays hidden until that perfect moment, when he can strike out of nowhere, like a hawk from out of the sky."

"Hmm, I like it, I like it," Chinatsu crooned, nodding vigorously, "A new perspective on a familiar phrase. Though I'd like to see some bolder brush strokes on 'taka' and 'tsume,' okay? Really give it that extra impact!"

Shinji smiled with confidence. "But of course. This is merely the plan for the layout. When it comes to expressive calligraphy, I won't be outdone!"

Chinatsu patted him on the shoulder, "Glad to hear it! How 'bout you, Emi? Whatcha got for me?"

It was all coming together rather smoothly, Jacob thought. Both Shinji-kun and Fujiwara-san seemed to be having much more fun in club than they had previously, the latter no longer looking miserable and nervous when her superior came a-callin'. They only had 3 more months to prepare for the Shodou Performance Koshien, but if the group's morale in today's club meeting was anything to go by, they'll have this thing in the bag. Now, Jacob thought, for the hard part: What the hell was he going to do for the competition?

At 5:57pm, Shimada-sensei showed up. "Alright, boys and girls, the school will be closing in a few minutes, but before I chase you out, I have a bit of an announcement for you all."

"Oh, yeah? What's up?" Jacob asked, as all the club members stepped forward to listen to the news.

Holding up a sort of dossier, Shimada-sensei stated, "Starting next Monday, the 8th, I will be assigning a new member to the Calligraphy Club--Hayakawa Haruka, a 2nd-year student from Class 2-4. Hirano-san, I'll leave this with you--" She handed Chinatsu the dossier. "--and be sure to share that information with Fujiwara-san, as well. Well, you kids enjoy the rest of your Golden Week, and I'll see you on Monday." Shimada-sensei bowed and took her leave, not really giving Jacob the chance to say anything. She seemed to be avoiding giving him the opportunity to ask her out again.

"Oh, man," Chinatsu said as she skimmed over the information on the new member, "I thought I remembered hearing her name. Emi, you'd better read this, too. I'm not good with situations like...well, this."

She pointed out a section for Fujiwara-san to read, and she, too, had a shock of recognition, covering her mouth with her hands.

"What is it? What is it?" Yuuko asked, trying to squeeze herself and her curly blonde hair in to read the document.

"Yeah, I'm with Cream Puff, here--what is it?" Jacob's curiosity had been piqued, as well. He turned to look at Shinji-kun, who wore a troubled expression on his already-serious face. "You know somethin' about this, Shinji-kun?" he asked.

"Well...I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but..." Shinji explained, left hand raised and fiddling with his Kanji earring nervously, "Judging by their reactions, it would seem that this is, indeed, the same Hayakawa Haruka who attempted suicide, just before the school year started..."